Nothin’ but grey skies, do I see …
*sigh*
Various sadness swirling about and gloominess overhead has made me a bit pathetic as of late. For example, I spent a good portion of yesterday looking up vacations that I simply cannot afford. Yes, I’m that pitiful. To add insult to injury, I had an early morning errand this morning. The errand itself didn’t get me down, mind you. As a matter of fact, I was feeling quite good … until I saw the cute little bunny smushed on the road. Before I knew it I was at Starbucks, ordering a caramel macchiato and a blueberry scone. Whilst swigging down my tall cup of comfort, I perused a couple blogs. And wouldn’t you know it, Bluebird Luxe was showcasing grey items on Etsy.
*swoon*
I loved it. All of it … but especially this:
grey (or gray, as the case may be) stoneware pitcher from micolie3
Just imagine … a lazy afternoon with friends, sitting around a table of orange and ivory … wildflowers at the center … and this sweet little pitcher, pouring cups of goodness.
It just goes to show, you never know where you might find a bit of sunshine; and just because something’s grey, doesn’t it mean it can’t shine!
Dear well-meaning friends, friends of friends, and complete-and-total strangers:
Thank you for your concern over us single people wandering aimlessly about. I’m sure when you set out to set us up, you hope we’ll find the happiness you’ve discovered, and not – as it might appear – misery.
Perhaps a few guidelines …
- Strive for common ground (and profuse apologies, but the fact that we’re both old and single doesn’t count);
- If we’re friends, and you would never – in a million years – date the guy if you were single, do not try to set him up with me;
- Telling me things like, “You only notice he sounds gay when he’s around other men” will not help;
- Someone who can carry on a full, two-sided conversation is good. Trying to think up topics that may garner more than a one-word reply hurts my head. And let’s be serious, constant headaches are not appreciated by either party;
- Humor is a requirement, not an option. Period.
Sure, I’m an odd assortment of strange-contradictions. And I realize, it may be nigh-on impossible for you to find a guy who meets the above criteria. In which case, so be it …
xoxo
Amy
P.S. – I must admit that I’m a bit concerned with the multiple photos … of cats … that were apparently downloaded from my camera last October … and yet I have no recollection. None. Whatsoever. Perhaps I’m further along on the crazy-cat-lady track than I originally thought …
Good Monday greetings to you! And how was that weekend of yours? Mine was an extension of the week – fairly unproductive. So I decided to finish it off with the Oscars. Now I haven’t watched the Oscars for years – a decade, at least. It just got too gaudy and annoying for my taste, so I dropped it. I must say, I was pleasantly surprised. So without further ado, my thoughts on the 82nd Annual Academy Awards:
- George Clooney, apparently, has become a grumpy old man - when did this happen?! I don’t know … but if looks could kill, we’d be paying tribute to Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin this morning. Instead, George Clooney just looked like an *bleep* … and he did not appear to be joking. I do not know the story, my friends – usually he seems nothing short of a gentleman … a nut … a good sport. So if it was all part of the show, I didn’t get it. But I’ll tell you one thing, if he truly was Mr. Sour Pants – and I was his girlfriend - I’d be saying, “Simmer in your ugly disposition; I’m going to change seats with one of those nose-bleeders up there … “ And that is one of many, many reason I’ve never been, nor will I ever be, George Clooney’s girlfriend. Moving right along …
- Speaking of Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin I think they did a good job hosting together; I may not have laughed ’til I cried, but I chuckled, and that’s always good;
- Tina Fey and Robert Downey Jr’s clever repartee on screenwriter vs. actor was awesome – they part me asunder;
- The clips from Lauren Becall’s acceptance speech for her Lifetime Achievement Award were classic – loved it;
- Farrah Fawcett was oddly and quite noticeably absent from the “In Memoriam” mantage – of all the people they could forget, she seems like a hard one. Weird;
- Loved the 80′s flashback with actors/actresses who starred in our favorite John Hughes films paying tribute to the director;
- The clip from “Twilight” in the horror movie mantage made me snicker;
- Movie trailers make commercials much more easy to digest – especially if they are different each time around – so, thankful for that;
- Whoever was in charge of putting this show together deserves a raise. It was entertaining, it didn’t drag on; it had a hint of glamour, but it wasn’t over the top. Yes, there may have been some hiccups (what event goes without?) but all in all, it was very well done.
Of course, there were many a gorgeous gown – and I didn’t notice any that were truly horrifying. It was almost – just almost – like a glimpse at old Hollywood glamour. And what’s not to love about that?!
The Boise State Broncos did it again. In case you haven’t heard, they won the Fiesta Bowl, beating TCU in a 17-10 victory, and completing a 14-0 season. It was thrilling; and completely stressful. My shoulders *whimper.*
I’m not a diehard football fan, as you might have guessed, but I do so love our boys. And Coach Petersen! He deserves every win … not just for his tireless work as a coach, but his sportsmanship. I’ve never heard him put down an opposing team; I’ve never seen him gloat. He is a good example of how one should win, not only on the playing field, but in life. So to to our Broncos – the Big Blue – a hearty Congratutions for a perfect season. We’re proud to call you our team, not just for your wins, but your character as well.
And while we’re on the topic of winners, I thought you might like to know I am one. Now I know what you’re thinking, aren’t you the girl who took the “fun bus” to Jackpot – where you played Bingo all three hours – and did not win so much as a fly swatter? A FLY SWATTER, PEOPLE - and yes, that’s correct.
But a couple weeks ago, I was perusing the winners on the Bright Side Project and came across my own entry. Naturally, I didn’t believe it at first, figuring it to be some sort of technological spasm. But after clicking back and forth several times, I realized I was, indeed, a winner.
First of all, I won my choice of jewelry from FriedaSophie - and you must know I love, love, love her pieces. Secondly, I was informed by the girls of the Bright Side Project that I probably wouldn’t hear back from FriedaSophia until after the first of the year, being the holidays and all. I figured as much. But much to my surprise, I promptly received a reply. Even though it was a gift, she allowed me to choose my gem, and she created the earrings and sent them out before the new year. I received them Saturday.
Here I am wearing them …
And since you can’t really see them (with that beak, I refuse all profile shots, naturally), here’s a bit of a closeup (profuse apologies for the blurring nature of the photo) …
They are well-crafted and oh-so lovely. You can probably guess that I now highly recommend FriedaSophie.
Lastly (but certainly not least), there was meaning behind this win. I wanted teal because it reminded me of Dixi. Winning with this entry, at this time, was truly a bright side to a moment of blue. Who would believe a couple of women would come up with an idea to give away free things, to make people happy … an artist would donate one of her pieces … and the heart of a sad stranger would be lightened.
For such a time as this … After reading the winning entries for the last few months, I know I’m not the only life that’s been touched.
So remember, winning or losing is not nearly as important and how you conduct yourself. If you feel led to do something – even if it requires a lot of work, and not-so-much money – do it. You just never know the lives you’ll touch. And even if you consider yourself unlucky, refuse to give in. Chances are, you’ll win when you least expect it - right when you need it most.
My mom and I went in together to make a photo book for my nephew’s birthday. We titled it Our favorite introduction: meeting micah vernon – july 2009. We wrote a wee story and added pictures from our trip to Sweden. It turned out so good my mom cried. Several times. Okay fine, I may have shed a tear or two as well, but that is totally not the point.
What exactly is the point, you ask?
The point is this: after considerable deliberation we chose MyPublisher – and we couldn’t have been happier. They were great to work with. I had a funky font issue at one point and a member of their support team quickly resolved the issue. They made sure to note possible spelling errors before I submitted it for print. I actually cancelled a print job one time – within the allotted time – without issue. And once the project was submitted, they continued to keep me in the loop … sending an email when the pages were printed … and then when the project was posted online. All of this took a matter of days. It did take about a week to arrive, once shipped, but that’s standard shipping time from New York.
Needless to say, if you’re looking to give the gift of memories this year, check out MyPublisher. See how they can make those best of days, live forever …
